Camber and caster gauge



Oct. 27, 1953 LE ROY v. JACOBSEN 23,730

CAMBER AND CASTER GAUGE Originl Filed Nov. 29. 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Z. If $160555 ATTORNEY Oct. 27, 1953 LE ROY v. JACOBSEN 23,730

CAMBER AND CASTER GAUGE '2 Shets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 29. 1948 IN VEN TOR. L 14.146055? ATTDRIVEY' Reissued Oct. 27, 1953 CAMBER AND CASTER GAUGE Le Roy V. Jacobson, Durant, Iowa, assignor to Bee-Line Company, Davenport, Iowa, a copartnership Original No. 2,569,416, dated September 25, 1951,

Serial No. 62,436, November 29, 1948. Application for reissue January 14, 1952, Serial No.

9 Claims.

Matter enclosed in heavy brackets I: appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

My present invention relates to a gauge particularly adapted to the determination of camber and caster of the dirigible wheels of a motor vehicle, and it is especially useful in connection with vehicles in which the upper half of the Wheel is covered by the vehicle fender so that it is impractical to get at the wheel for the checking thereof with the checking devices heretofore used for this purpose. It will therefore be understood that the primary purposes of my invention are to provide a wheel-checking gauge which is usable in a practical manner with the most up-to-date construction of cars; to provide an apparatus which can be used on the lower half of a wheel for the checking of camber and caster, whether the upper half of the wheel be exposed or covered by the fender of the vehicle; and such further objects, advantages, and capabilities as will hereafter appear and as are inherent in the construction disclosed herein. My invention further resides in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and, while I have shown therein the preferred embodiment of this invention, and certain modifications thereof, I desire the same to be understood as illustrative only and not to be interpreted in a limiting sense.

In the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part hereof,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the structure which is now regarded as the preferred embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure with certain parts in section;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 illustrates another modification of this apparatus; and

Fig. 5 represents an elevation of a still further modification of the preferred construction.

Reference will now be made in greater detail to the annexed drawings for a more complete description of this invention. The structure of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a pair of arms In and H which are pivotally connected by the pivot l2 provided with a reduced stem l3 having a shoulder [4 which fits against one face of body member I5 of the gauge. The pivot I2 is secured to the body member l5 by a screw l6 surrounded by a washer ll, between the body member I5 and the head of the screw 16. When the screw is tightened up, the shoulder M is drawn tightly against the face of the body member 15, and these parts are held against turning. The outer half of the pivot member i2 is somewhat smaller than the extreme diameter thereof to furnish a shoulder against which one face of the base of one of the pivoted arms may be held, as shown in Fig. 2. Each of these bases i8 and I8 is provided with a socket, in one of which is a sprin which holds the arms under tension and assists in holding them in place.

An adjusting member 2| is oppositely threaded at its two ends and cooperates with oppositely threaded nuts 22 and 23 pivotally mounted in arms l0 and II. When the screw-threaded member 2! is turned, the arms l0 and II are drawn toward each other or forced apart so that the bearing surfaces 24 are adjusted to fit against the outer face of the wheel rim at opposite sides of the axle of the wheel. Another point 25 furnishes a bearing surface for the pivot I2 on the wheel rim at a point remote from the bearin surfaces 24.

A supporting member 25 carries the nut 22, rigidly but adjustably held therein, in which is rotatably carried the double ended screw 2!, on which is rigidly mounted a guide member or roller 28. This roller 23 is designed to ride in a channel 29 in the back of the body member [5. The guide member or wheel 23, riding in the groove or channel 29, prevents the screwthreaded member 2| from moving laterally with relation to the body member 15. A channel 29 is cut in the back of upright l5 and cooperates with roller 28 to keep the parts 2|, Ill, and I! from moving sideways. As a consenquence of this arrangement, the arms it and H ma be spread outwardly or drawn toward each other by turning the screw. Therefore, the bearing members 24 and 25 may be made to fit against a shoulder of the wheel rim of different sized wheels. With the bearing member 25 fitting against the shoulder of the rim, at the bottom of the wheel, the bearing members 24 will bear against the shoulder on opposite sides of the axis of the wheel, or a little above or below the same. Therefore, since the fender covers only the upper half of the wheel, it is possible to have in sight at all times that part of the wheel on which checking work is to be done.

For the purpose of plumbing the gauge, a pair of levels 30 and 3i are provided, the length of which extend in directions at right angles to each other. The level 3| is carried by a body member 32, pivoted at 33 on the body member I5. A pointer member 34 cooperates with a graduated dial 35 in reading camber and caster inclinations. The construction and operation of the graduated dial is explained more fully in application, Serial No. 57,152, filed October 29, 1948, now Patent No. 2,554,621, issued May 29, 1951.

The primary difference between the structure of Fig. 3 and that of Fig. 1 is that in Fig. 3 the arms Illa and Ila extend beyond the pivot member l2 and, instead of the nuts 22 and 23 being used in connecting the long ends above the pivot l2, they are used in connecting the short ends below the pivot. As a result of turning the screw 2 I, the relative positionsoithe body member [5b and the arms Ma and llaare changed, but the change is substantially the same as what takes place with the previously described construction.

The structure of Fig. 4 works in a manner similar to that explained in connection with Figs.

1 and 3, but the difference is that theposts 36 and 31 are arranged to slide longitudinally of the graduated bar-38, instead of being connected pivotally, as in the case of Figs..1.and-3.-. A body the bearing members 24, and these sleeves are held in adjusted position by the set screws 4|. A body member I5d depends iromthe bar 38 and carries the level 3|, the pointed member or ind-icator 34, pivot member 33, gauge dial 35, and

associated parts, in part, as shown in Fig. 2.

t is of course understood that the specific description of structure set forth above may be departed from without departing from the spirit of this invention as disclosed herein and as defined by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A camber gauge for dirigible wheels of a vehicle comprising a pair of arms and a bracket pivotally interconnected for movement about a common axis, wheel-contacting means for con- .1

tacting the side of a wheel positioned at said axis and on each of said arms at a point remote from said axis, equalizing means for maintaining said bracket in a position bisecting the angle between said arms, a first level connected with said bracket for movement with respect to said bracket about a pivot perpendicular to said pivotal connection of said arms, means for indicating the angular adjustment of said level with respect to saidbracket, and a second level for indicating whether said pivot of said first level is horizontal.

2. A camber gauge for dirigible wheels of a vehicle comprising a pair of arms and a bracket pivotally interconnected for movement about a common.- axis, wheel-contacting means for con.- tacting the side of a wheel positioned at said axis and on each of said arms at a point remote from said axis, equalizing means for maintaining said bracket in a position bisecting the angle between said arms, an indicator pivotally connected'to said bracket on a pivot perpendicular to the plane in which the indicator and the axis are located, said indicator including a level perpendicular to said pivot and a member carried by and in screw-threaded adjustment with said indicator for bearing against said bracketto in dicate the angular position of said indicator about its pivot, and a second level for indicating whether said bracket is vertical,

3. A camber gauge as defined in claim 2 in which said equalizing means comprises a screw necting means connecting a mid-portion of said screw and the bracket to maintain said bracket 'in a vertical plane.

4. A; cambergauge comprising a bracket having a pair of pivots each perpendicular to a common line connecting the axes of said pivots, a pair of wheel-engaging arms independently pivoted upon one of said pivots, a level for indicating horizon-tality of the other of said pivots, a block pivoted to said other pivot, a level carried by said block, said last-named level indicating if the length of said block is horizontal, and equal- .izing means control-lingthe relative. pivotal adjustment of said arms and said bracket, to main tain the pivot of said block perpendicular to a. plane bisecting the angle between said arms.

5. A camber dud caster gauge for the cl iri'gible wheels of a vehicle-,comprising-u first body and a pair of arms, pivot meu 'ns individuallyconnect ing the first body and the pair of arms about w single axis, wheelbcontacting means on the side of the arms and at the axis of pivotal connection, extending the some distance from the plane of the arms for contacting the wheel so that the arms will be a fired distance from the wheel, the contacting means being approximately at the ends of the arms, a second body carrying a first level, a pivot pivotally connecting said second body with said first body, means for indicating the angular adjustment of said first level with respect to said first body, and a second level for indicating whether said pivot of said first and second bodies is horizontal.

6. A camber and caster gauge comprising a. vertically elongated body havingo plurality of pivots, each pivot being perpendicular to the axial line of the body, a pair of wheel-engaging arms independently pivoted upon one of said pivots, a first level indicating horizontality of a second pivot, a block pivoted to said body on. said second pivot, a second level carried by said block, said last named level indicating whether the length of said block is horizontal, said second level lying in a plane perpendicular to said first level for indicating changes in the relative position of said body and said block, and a. graduated screw through said block and contacting said body, said screwucarryz'ng a graduated dial for indicating changes needed in the position of said body and said wheel-engaging arms to give the wheel correct camber and caster.

7. A camber and caster gauge for the dirigible wheels of a vehicle, comprising a body and a pair of arms pivotally interconnected to th body about a single axis, wheel-contactin means approximately at the ends of said arms for 001 1.- tacting the side of a wheel, the pivotal intercom, reaction between the arms and the body constituting an axis and being remote from the axis of rotation of the wheel but parallel thereto, an indicator lying in a plane embracing the pivotal interconnection between the arms and the body and being in the same plane with the body and the first mentioned axis, a. pivot extending at a. right angle to the plane in which the indicator and th first mentioned axis are located, said indicator being pivotally connected to said body on said pivot, said indicator including a level perpendicular to said pivot between the indicator and the body, a, member carried by and in screwthreaded adjustment with ,said indicator for bearing against said body to indicate the angular position of said indicator about its pivot, and a second level for indicating whether said pivot of said first level is horizontal.

8. A camber and caster gauge comprising a body having upper and lower pivots, the longitudinal axial line of the body and the lower one of the pivots defining a plane to which the upper pivot is perpendicular, a level block having a level, said block being pivoted on said upper pivot for rotation about said upper pivot in the first plane parallel to the axis of said lower pivot, the level of the level block being adapted to determine the deviation from vertical of the axis of the body in the first plane, arms mounted on said lower pivot for rotation in a second plane, which second plane is perpendicular to the first plane, a level on the body for determining verticality of the first-mentioned plane, and a screw in the level block, whereby the variation of the axial line of the body from the vertical in the first mentioned plane may be determined.

9. A camber and caster gauge comprising a body having upper and lower pivots, a level block pivoted to the upper pivot and having a level in a plane at a right angle to the upper pivot, the level block being rotatable on the upper pivot in a plane including the axis of the lower pivot, the

level of the level block being adapted to determine the inclination of the body in the first plane, two arms mounted on the lower pivot for rotation in a plane perpendicular to the first mentioned plane, a level carried by the body to test verticality of the body in a plane parallel to the plane of the arms, and a graduated screw in the level block whereby the variation of the body from a vertical direction in a plane at a right 

